1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club head and, more particularly, to the golf ball-striking face of a golf club head, as well as to a process of manufacturing the golf club head.
2. Description of Background and Other Information
In known golf club heads, the golf ball striking face is composed of a plate, which is generally made of metal and is secured either to a hollow or to a solid body made of wood or of a synthetic material. The metal plate is most often secured to the body by screws, but it may also be glued or welded thereto.
For example, British Patent No. 267,755, Austrian Patent No. 211,781, U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,149, and British Patent No. 2,184,951 disclose composite golf club heads, that is, club heads wherein the striking face is made of a material which is different from that of the remainder of the head.
However, known methods of assembling golf club heads are not always satisfactory from the standpoint of service life, especially considering the intense mechanical stresses and environmental factors to which the club heads are exposed, such as temperature variations, ultraviolet radiation, potential contact with herbicides, etc., particularly if the body is made of a synthetic material.
Furthermore, in the case of a unit assembled with screws, the need to pre-drill and to pre-thread holes in the body of the head complicates the manufacturing process and restricts the potential maximum production rates.